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Sunday, December 6, 2015

CONCUSSION

Young Dr. Bennett Omalu is from Nigeria, and
from the time he was a boy he dreamed of coming to America.He obtained medical degrees (bachelor
of medicine and bachelor of surgery) at the University of Nigeria, obtained a
residency position at Columbia University in New York, and along the way earned
multiple advanced degrees and certifications, eventually ending up as a
forensic pathologist.When the story
of Concussion (based on a true story)
begins in 2002, Omalu (Smith) is at the Allegheny County Coroner’s Office in
Pittsburgh, with the notable Dr. Cyril Wecht (Brooks) as his mentor.

Omalu will soon gain recognition as the
physician-scientist who first discovered that head injuries among professional
football players have long lasting and sometimes devastating consequences.He called the condition chronic
traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).No
small thing, because when it progresses, it eventually makes the person crazy,
often driving them to suicide.

Now, football is big business, employing
hundreds of thousands of people, seeing that disadvantaged kids get an
education, and making senior executives in the National Football League very
rich.The NFL will not take
Omalu’s discovery lightly, and will fight circulation of the information about
the damage to players like the tobacco companies fought the truth about the
danger of cigarettes.It will
attempt to destroy the careers of Omalu and his mentor Wecht using every scheme
the executives can think of.

The themes of the film are very interesting and
educational.First is the dramatic
story of how Omalu came to his conclusions, primarily by studying the brains of
five or six players after they began developing problems.This is not a smooth journey, and Omalu
faces all kinds of objections and derision along the way, always with the
backup of a strong mentor, Wecht.Keep in mind that this drama is taking place in Pittsburgh, home of the
Steelers, with one of the largest fan bases in the country.Fans are just as vociferous in their
objections to Omalu’s work as the NFL is.

Another enlightening theme is what the affected
players go through once they develop the condition.It’s heartbreaking to see the devastation to their minds,
and consequently, the destruction of their families and finances.

Another theme that lightens the burden of
learning about a shocking condition is the romance between Omalu and his
eventual wife, Prema (Mbetha-Raw) that gradually develops after his priest puts
pressure on Omalu, a loner completely dedicated to his work, to take in a
border who recently arrived from Nigeria.She brings order to his home life and provides impressive support as he
goes through his trials.A
touching item she brings up at one point is that his last name in Nigerian
means “If you know, you must come forth and speak.”She reminds him at a time when he is doubting the wisdom of
pursuing such a controversial subject.

Writer-director Peter Landesman (Kill the Messenger, Parkland) is gifted
in his presentation of controversial subjects, maintaining a comfortable
balance of factual information and emotional experiences of the players.He does not preach, but maintains a
neutral stance in laying out material for the viewer to consider. His storytelling is captivating.

I would say that this could be Will Smith’s
most important and well-done performance in his acting career.He has been nominated for and won
numerous awards, but he completely loses himself in this role and consistently maintains
a plausible Nigerian accent throughout.He and Mbatha-Raw (Belle, Beyond
the Lights) a gifted performer as well, have good chemistry and come across
as a very believable couple somewhat awed by their new love.Supporting actors Albert Brooks, David
Morse, and Alec Baldwin live up to their usual standards of quality.

A most enlightening and timely account
of a troubling scientific discovery.